Project Title: An integrated pest and disease management extension program for the olive industry (OL17001)
(Link to survey is at the bottom of the page)
This is an invitation to participate in an industry survey, which forms part of the project An integrated pest and disease management extension program for the olive industry (OL17001), funded by Hort Innovation, using the Hort Innovation olive industry research and development levy, and contributions from the Australian Government. As you may be aware, the key research provider of this recently commenced project is Western Sydney University, with collaborative partners the AOA and a several state Departments of Primary Industry.
The project aims to provide Australian olive growers with access to current, practical information and advice for implementing integrated pest and disease management (IPDM) strategies in their groves. It will have a focus on the sustainable management of three major pests/diseases for the industry: black scale, olive lace bug and anthracnose. It will deliver this information via
- Face-to-face IPDM workshops across growing areas with information specific to those areas (expected to be held in the second half of 2018)
- Online tutorials, with self-assessments
- A best practice IPDM manual and fact sheets, and a revised Pest and Disease Field Guide for the industry
- Training for industry consultants and pest scouts
In order to provide a baseline of information on current olive pests and diseases, as well as to optimise provision of the project’s extension services, we are conducting a survey, by way of on-line questionnaire. We would greatly appreciate you undertaking the survey, as the more participants, the clearer picture we will get of the current pest and disease situation in Australian olives. Furthermore, you have the opportunity to provide us with feedback as to how you would like to receive extension materials developed in the project.
We anticipate the survey will take 20 – 30 minutes to complete. We have attempted to make as many questions as possible easy to answer by selecting available answer options. The survey will close on 20 June 2018. We aim to conduct a similar survey at the end of the project, in approximately 2.5 years’ time.
Please note that this survey is anonymous. The survey data will not report any individual responses but all responses will be consolidated to provide an overall industry perspective of olive pests and diseases. The results will be reported to the industry via Hort Innovation and the AOA. More survey participation details are available in a Participant Information Sheet which can be viewed by clicking in this link.
Thank you in anticipation, and we look forward to meeting as many of you as possible during our field days and other project extension activities. Should you require any further information, please contact me via email or phone.
With best regards,
Robert Spooner-Hart
Project Leader r.spooner-hart@westernsydney.edu.au
Western Sydney University Phone +61245701429; Mobile 0414953129
This study has been approved by the Western Sydney University Human Research Ethics Committee. The Approval number is H12696.
I understand that by undertaking and submitting this survey, I am giving my consent for my responses to be used in the current project as outlined above. I understand I may choose to withdraw any time during the survey by simply exiting, and my responses won’t be recorded. However, once I hit submit, I will be unable to withdraw my data because my responses cannot be identified (and therefore cannot be removed from the dataset).
Survey Closes on 20 June 2018
